I racconti della cripta

Not only was every episode meticulously crafted into thirty minutes of ironic terror, but the forces behind it always remained credible enough to deliver star-studded episodes. Jon Kassir's Crypt Keeper remains one of the more sacred pop culture figures of recent years (when's the last time you saw someone trashing the Keeper? He's an icon for chrissakes), and while some of the stories may not have been on caliber with others (most of the "England" episodes never touched the Demi Moore/"if I can't have you, no one will" one), in the end, when the smoke had cleared and the show was over, you looked at it with a refreshing zing, as if you had embraced being had.

Bringing back the EC stories wasn't a simple task. Speilberg tried it with "Amazing Stories" and gave up after two long years. The "Vault Of Horror" got a limited run in 94, but failed. But Tales always stuck around, on its own terms, and gave up swinging.

NP: The Bobcat Goldthwait episode: only animated Tales ever: takeoff...Three Little Pigs

OK, the Cryptkeeper, I remember him fondly, as I knew whenever I say him I knew he'd be preceded by a great tale of horror. OK maybe in the first short season, it wasn't as apparent as the superb later seasons would be, but this did lay the groundwork (side note: none of the tales in the first 6 episodes of this series actually came from the "Tales From the Crypt" comic series technically). Not to say this season wasn't good, quite the opposite as the maniac Santa story of "And all through the House" and the black comedic "Collection Completed" are classic episodes, even if the other 4 are not really up to snuff. Even the second season would get so much better by leaps and bounds.

My Season one grade: B

Season 1 Extras: New introduction from a now heavily bandaged Cryptkeeper; the cool "Tales from the Crypt: From Comic Books to Television" documentary and the not nearly as cool 5 and a half minute "Crypt Keeper's History Of Season 1"

If you are a somewhat warped person with a dark sense of humor, you'll really like this offering. Obviously I plead guilty because I liked this, although one of episodes turned me off. Nonetheless, it's very entertaining because of the effective mix of comedy, suspense, horror and originality.

You only get six stories from this opening (1989) season of horror-comedy on cable television, but at a fairly cheap price, the DVD set still is well worth it.

In addition to the crazy stories, you get some surprisingly good cinematography. The picture isn't razor sharp but it's well-photographed. Some pretty big directors in the film business - Richard Donner, Robert Zemeckis, Joel Silver, David Giler and Walter Hill - are involved.

Each show features an actor or two who's familiar and they must have had fun making these. You can just see it as they ham it up in their roles. Warning: the language is rough. This is R-rated material....and perhaps only for sick people, as I must be.

There have been many shows that were never intended to be taken seriously, but "Tales from the Crypt" brings the idea to a whole new level. Each episode begins by descending into what appears to be a haunted house, where we get introduced to the delightfully creepy Crypt Keeper. He explains (as sardonically as possible) what we're about to watch. Then, each episode tells a story involving a really nasty situation; some involve monsters, others involve people doing really unpleasant things, but they all make one laugh. I really liked the episode where Don Rickles played a most unusual puppeteer, and also the episode where Christopher Reeve opened a restaurant...of sorts. Granted, this show was kind of ridiculous, but they never lost their timing, even with the Crypt Keeper's silly remarks. Just remember that, kiddies. Hee hee hee!

I have always been a fan of the series. This is the kind of stuff I grew up on. I loved this show when I was a kid, so much that I even read some of the old comics. There is always a moral to each story. (most of which seem to involve betraying lovers for some odd reason) Although some episodes are so far out there they come off as being lame at times I can't help but love them. Every episode is like it's own little horror movie. I highly recommend the series,especially now that it is coming out on DVD. You get a lot of entertainment for your money. Thats all I have to say about this series and as the crypt keeper would say "Good night boils and ghouls."